Metropolitan Pavel: All Orthodox shrines must be returned to believers
Metropolitan Pavel of Vyshhorod and Chornobyl. Photo: lavra.ua
Metropolitan Pavel, abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, said that all Orthodox shrines must be returned to believers in order to stop their destruction. He said this in an address published on the YouTube channel of the Lavra on the feast day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
According to the bishop, today there is no religious freedom in Ukraine, and the churches seized from the UOC are in desolation.
“There is a temple in honor of St. Nicholas on the upper territory of the Lavra. Unfortunately, it is in disrepair now. <…> Today we are talking about religious tolerance, we are talking about religious freedom. We don't have any of that. Today, the shrines must be returned to believers. They must not be destroyed. Believers do not ask the state for money. But the shrines belong to the people of God, the believing people. They are in our country and belong to our country – they cannot belong to anyone else. But they must be used what they are intended for,” said Metropolitan Pavel.
As the UOJ reported, the head of the Ministry of Culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, said that there would be handicrafts in the Lower Lavra once the UOC was out.
Read also
DESS: The number of communities joining OCU in 2024 is half of last year’s
Over a year, 232 communities of the UOC changed their jurisdiction.
Scale of internal damage to UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia shown online
The video allows viewers to assess the damage endured by the main Orthodox church of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia.
Ex-MP UOC protodeacon Novinsky declared suspicion of high treason
The former MP is accused of "ensuring that a significant part of Ukrainian society, who are believers of the UOC, remain under the direct influence of the leader of the ROC".
St Andrew’s icon survives under the rubble of UOC cathedral in Zaporizhzhia
The icon was painted by nuns of the St Nicholas Monastery in Patras (Greece) and consecrated on the relics of St Andrew the Apostle.
RF missile strike destroys St Andrew's Cathedral of UOC in Zaporizhzhia
The fragments damaged the roof of the building, dome, ceilings, cut windows and disfigured classrooms.
Media shows conditions in which persecuted communities of Volyn have to pray
After their churches were seized, UOC faithful are compelled to pray in poorly equipped facilities.